6 candy swaps to satisfy your sweet tooth without getting fat

Crush your cravings with these healthier alternatives.

Simply put: Candy is bad for you. But there will always be days when a Snickers bar is calling your name, and it'll seem a lot more appetizing than your rice puffs. In a battle of indulgences, the candy bar will always win—but with all the fat and sugar in a Snickers, your physique will lose.

Fortunately, there's a light at the end of the tunnel: "healthy candy" that's ok to indulge in. Check out these six alternatives that'll help you indulge your sweet tooth—and save your six-pack.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Chocolate + peanut butter = sold. They're arguably the best candy combo ever, but you don't dare to look at the nutrition profile of a pack of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Two cups pack 210 calories, 13 grams of fat, and 21 grams of sugar. Plus, given how tasty they are, we all know one cup turns into five, and there goes your daily diet plan.

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar

All chocolate, nothing more—the ultimate way to satisfy any sweet tooth. And while a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar can get the job done, it will also cause an insulin spike when it's not warranted—and that can do all kinds of nasty things to your system.

The Fix: Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Nuggets With Almonds. Four pieces contain 190 calories, 13 grams of fat, 21 grams of sugar, and 3 grams of protein—so not ideal, but slightly better for you. Plus, they contain almonds, which, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and that dark chocolate packs plenty of antioxidants. Either way, though, mind that moderation is key.

Haribo Gold-Bears Gummi Candy

Gummi bears are the a prime choice for when you're craving something fruity. Haribo Gold Bears Gummi Candy, however, are made with ingredients that will sabotage your physique—even if the serving size is just 17 pieces. The ingredients list: corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, dextrose, citric acid, corn starch, artificial and natural flavors, fractionated coconut oil, carnauba wax, beeswax coating, and artificial colors Yellow 5, Red 40, and Blue 1. Do you really want to be ingesting all that?

M&M's Milk Chocolate

It's easy to totally lose (portion) control with these beloved chocolates. Five turns into soon 35, which then turns into five bags. But here's your downfall: One serving of M&M's Milk Chocolate contains 240 calories, 10 grams of fat (6g sat fat), and 30 grams of sugar.

The Fix: UnReal Candy Coated Milk Chocolates. Forty pieces will only give you 170 calories, 7 grams of fat (4g sat fat), and 15 grams of sugar. That's almost half of the amount of calories and sugar compared to M&M's.

3 Musketeers Bar

Do you really need to consume that huge 3 Musketeers bar? Hell, the original Musketeers probably didn't even eat them.

The Fix: Save yourself on this one and opt for a mini-sized 3 Musketeers. The chocolate in these is lower in fat. While one large bar contains 240 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 36 grams of sugar, seven mini pieces contain only 170 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 27 grams of sugar.

Jessica Nowak

Snickers Bar

Everyone loves the classic Snickers bar, but one bar packs a punch: 215 calories, 11 grams of fat, and 20 grams of sugar.

DirectionsFor the nougat layer, combine the almond butter, coconut flour, and maple syrup in a bowl. Then press the dough onto a baking sheet that's lined with wax paper, creating a rectangle shape for the dough. It should be 1/2 inch thick. Place in freezer to set. While that is freezing, combine the dates, salt, vanilla, and coconut oil, and water in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Remove the nougat from the freezer and spread the caramel filling on top. Next, spread chopped almonds on top, and put it back in the freezer for 30 minutes. For the chocolate coating mix the chocolate chunks and coconut oil in a bowl and melt it in the microwave. Then remove the bars from the freezer and slice into 6 or 12 bars. Spread the chocolate on the bars, and return them back into the freezer for 15 minutes.